Suck It!

Only Lovers Left Alive is Jim Jarmusch’s take on bloodsuckers. It’s
only fitting he would get around to vampires eventually—if you’re not given to
his particular bent, his work can be exhausting, just like the vampire genre.

Vampire/musician
Adam (Tom Hiddleston) lives in Detroit in an out-of-the-way house. He has a
human acquaintance, Ian (Anton Yelchin), bring him supplies. One day, with the
weight of his existence bearing down on him, Adam asks Ian to bring him a wood
bullet. And Ian does.

If
you know your vampire lore, wood means one thing. Luckily for Adam, he’s graced
with a visit from his wife, Eve (Tilda Swinton). She spends most of her time in
Tangier hanging out with Christopher Marlowe (John Hurt).

Adam
and Eve’s tender and much-needed tryst is interrupted by the arrival of Eve’s
sister, Ava (Mia Wasikowska), a free-spirited and immature vampire who only
wants to have fun. Her presence throws everything off balance and in the second
half of the movie, the lovers struggle with a decision: Keep (un)living or,
finally, die.

Jarmusch
taps into existential loneliness with Only Lovers Left Alive. It’s
morose, but also quietly appealing. Maybe that’s why his vampire story is
effective when so many others suck. Yorik Le Saux’s cinematography is
spectacular. To call it a vampire movie isn’t quite fair, but it’s the best
vampire movie in a long, long time.